


Sugar, yes please

by brightlikeloulou



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Baked Goods, Flirting, Fluff and Crack, M/M, daryl is a lifesaver and a sweet bub, paul is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 08:14:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17484455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightlikeloulou/pseuds/brightlikeloulou
Summary: Paul liked to bake, so when he managed to keep inconveniencing his cute neighbor by needing his help, he used the sweets as thank yous.





	Sugar, yes please

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy xx

Paul sang softly along to the music that played from his Bluetooth speakers as he stirred the cupcake mixture around the glass bowl.

His hair was a mess, tied in an untidy knot at the top of his head, and he was wearing nothing but a pair of grey sweats and rainbow socks. It was nearing nine o'clock, and Paul was tired, but he had a kid's class the next day.

He always liked to make some kind of baked goods for his class of youngest students, most of the kids were four to six years old, and were all sweethearts and Paul was quite fond of them all. He only had the kid's class once a week on a Monday afternoon, so he usually made a batch of cupcakes, cookies, or a cake on the Sunday night to take the next morning.

Aside from that, he liked to bake for himself, and friends whenever he had them coming over, or he was going to their place.

He let out a loud groan when he went to add the sugar to the cupcake mixture and realized that he only had enough for a quarter of what he needed.

He rested his forehead against the cool marble surface of his kitchen counter and sighed loudly as he pondered his options. He could go to the grocery store, but he really did not feel like driving, and he had had a couple of beers so he probably shouldn't. He had a couple of neighbors on his floor, but he knew the couple down the hall were on vacation, and the other was in the hospital, his only option was the guy directly across the hall from him.

Paul didn't know much about him, his name was Daryl, and he worked as a mechanic at the shop a few blocks over, he had even worked on Paul's car the last time it had broken down. They'd say hello to each other when they passed in the hall or ended up in the elevator together. Paul had even helped the man carry a few boxes into his apartment when he had first moved into the apartment building a few months ago. Paul would be lying to himself if he said he didn't have a crush on him. He was cute.

Paul was about to make his way into the bedroom and find himself a t-shirt to pull on, but remembering his crush, he decided that remaining shirtless could work in his favor, and he left the apartment.

He knocked on Daryl's door when he reached it and mentally crossed his fingers that the man wasn't asleep as he waited for a reply.

It took a few minutes, but the door was pulled open, and Daryl was standing in front of him. He, like Pau,l was also wearing sweats, but he had on a dark green sweater. He squinted in confusion when his eyes met Paul's.

"Hi," Paul said, smiling warmly at the slightly taller man and folding his arms over his chest; it was cold in the hallway, and he was beginning to regret not wearing a shirt.

"Hey," Daryl replied, still seeming confused as he blinked down at him.

"Sorry to bother you," Paul began, "But I'm in the middle of baking cupcakes, and I don't have enough sugar, would you have some by any chance?"

Daryl was quiet for a few seconds before he cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah, sure, hold on a sec," He said, and then disappeared back into the apartment.

Paul grinned in success and tucked his hands into his pockets for warmth. He craned his head in an attempt to peak into Daryl's apartment, but he couldn't see anything more than a dining table.

Daryl returned after a few minutes and handed Paul a plastic container with a bag of sugar in it.

"Thanks so much," Paul said, looking up at the slightly taller man with a grin, "You're a life saver,"

Daryl's cheeks flushed slightly, and he shrugged his shoulders, and Paul smirked a little when he caught him looking at his bare torso.

"Don't worry about it," Daryl said, "There ain't a lot in there, but hopefully it'll be enough,"

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Paul replied as he tested the weight of the container in his hand, "I'll give the container back tomorrow sometime,"

Daryl nodded, and then awkwardly reached for the door handle, "Okay," He said, proceeding to clear his throat and rub the back of his neck.

Paul smiled and turned on his heels, "Thanks again!" He called, and then stepped back into his own apartment.

 

* * *

  

The next morning when Paul headed off to work, he stopped by Daryl's apartment door and placed the blue container down in front of it. He then continued down the hall to the elevator.

By the time Paul had finished the cupcakes the previous night, he had three leftovers that he had spent extra care icing, and then he placed them in Daryl's sugar container as a thank you for giving him his sugar. He even stuck a sticky note on the lid that read, _Thanks for the sugar, here's a thank you Xx._

Paul grinned to himself when he got home that night, and the container on Daryl's doorstep was gone.

 

* * *

  

Paul's brows furrowed, and his lips pulled into a frown when he turned the knob of his shower and no water came out. He tried several more times before he groaned loudly and slapped the tiled wall.

He stepped out of the shower stall and reached for his robe and put it on, grumbling at the cold and at the fact that his shower had decided to die for whatever reason.

He had a meeting at work that morning, and he had passed out the previous night before he had managed to get into the shower, so he was aware that he didn't smell great.

"I fucking hate my life," He mumbled as he grabbed his towel and his martial arts uniform from where he had sat them on his vanity and made his way out of the bathroom and his apartment. He found himself outside of Daryl's door again, and he sighed heavily as he lifted his fist and knocked on the door.

He was filled with relief when it opened a few moments later, and the wonderful sight of Daryl in a mechanic's uniform greeted him. Sure, Paul had seen him in the uniform before, but it still got to him every time. He had never really understood the whole man in a uniform thing, but Daryl did look gorgeous in his.

"Need more sugar?" Daryl asked when he saw him, one of his brows quirked and Paul caught the hint of a smile on his lips.

Paul laughed softly and shook his head, "No, my shower died," He began, "I was kinda hopin' you'd let me use yours. If it's not too much trouble of course,"

Daryl snorted a laugh and shook his head, but stepped aside and motioned for Paul to come in. "Come on," He said.

Paul grinned, and followed him inside, "Did you like the cupcakes?" He asked curiously as they came to a stop.

Daryl immediately nodded, "They were good, thanks. You didn't have to do that, it was just sugar,"

Paul shrugged, "You did something nice for me, so I did something nice for you," He argued, and he noticed the adorable red flush on Daryl's cheeks as he rolled his eyes.

"That door there," He said after a few moments, motioning to a white door on the other side of the room.

"Thank you, so much," Paul said, petting the man on the shoulder gratefully and then making his way to the door.

He entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him as he placed his clothes on the vanity. He decided to take a piss, and only realised that there was no toilet paper after he was finished, so he awkwardly leaned over and pulled open one of the vanity cupboards in search of some fresh rolls.

The first cupboard didn't hold toilet rolls, but a large bottle of lube, and a purple dildo. Paul raised his brows in surprise, and then smirked, "Interesting," He said as he closed the cupboard door and continued on his search. He eventually found a roll of toilet paper in one of the drawers and replaced the empty roll.

After he showered, he collected his robe, towel, and the empty toilet roll and then left the bathroom. Daryl was sat on the couch, leaned down as he pulled his boots on, and he looked up when he heard Paul.

"Hi," Paul greeted, "Thanks so much for that, you are once again a lifesaver,"

Daryl smiled, "Don't worry about it, just make sure you call the handyman,"

Paul nodded, "Yeah, I'll do that on my way to work," He said, and when he was stood just in front of Daryl, he held out the toilet roll, "I had to go searching," He said and was surprised when Daryl's eyes immediately widened, but Paul chose not to say anything, "I have to get going, I hope to see you later,"

Daryl nodded and took the toilet roll, "See ya," He said, and Paul waved as he left the apartment.

 

* * *

  

That night, Paul made chocolate chip cookies, and set aside six in a plastic container from his Thai takeaway dinner, with a note once again that read, _thanks for the shower, another thank you Xx._

 

* * *

  

"No," Paul said as the realization of what he had just done dawned on him, "Fuck! No!" He exclaimed and desperately tried to pull the car key that he had somehow mistaken for his apartment key out of his front door.

He swore more times as he ripped his phone out of his pocket and called the locksmith.

After an unsuccessful call, he sunk down to the floor and planted himself on his ass with his back against the door he had just accidentally locked. He rested his head back against the door and squeezed his eyes closed to try and stop the tears of frustration that were threatening to leak from his eyes.

He was exhausted, he had had a long fucking day. Two dumbass guys in his lunch class had been mucking around, and one of them ended up with a broken arm, and Paul had to deal with it. It was close to ten o'clock and he was looking forward to coming home, heating up the leftover pizza he had in the fridge, getting drunk off the bottle of vodka he had just bought, watching something stupid on Netflix, and then go to sleep, and spend his day off the next day, being lazy as hell.

"Fuck!" He yelled again and rubbed his hands over his face.

A few moments later, the door across from him opened, and Daryl was standing in the doorway.

Paul looked up at him, and almost smiled at how soft he looked, he had on baby pink sweats of all things, a black sweater, rainbow socks, and his hair was a complete mess.

Daryl did say anything, just leaned against the doorway and raised his brows at him.

Paul sighed heavily, and rested his chin on his knees, "I put my car key in my door by mistake, and it won't come out, and the locksmith can't come until the morning. So, I'm gonna have to sleep in the hallway because I've already had like three shots worth of this," He said, holding up his bottle of vodka, "And I can't drive to my best friend's house," he felt incredibly pathetic as he finished.

Daryl looked at him for a few moments, and then shook his head before stepping back into his apartment, "You can sleep on my couch," He called, and left the door open.

Paul blinked at him for a few moments, processing as to whether he had heard the older man right, and then quickly scrambled to his feet and hurried after him, not wanting to pass up the opportunity of a couch instead of a hard floor.

"Thanks," Paul said as he entered the apartment, closing the door behind him.

Daryl just shrugged, and then reached out and took the vodka off him and placed it on the counter in the kitchen by the microwave.

"I don't know what you're like drunk, I don't need you trashing my house," He explained as he turned to face him, but he had a grin on his face.

Paul snorted softly and sat down on the couch, and he rested his head in his hands, "I'm just weirder than usual really, don't worry," he said.

Daryl just hummed in reply, and Paul could hear him moving around in the kitchen but didn't look up.

"Here," Daryl said a few minutes later when he was standing in front of him again.

Paul looked up and found that the man was holding out a sandwich and a glass of water for him.

"Thank you," Paul sighed and took them both from him. He was starving, he hadn't eaten since around eleven that morning, and the ham and cheese sandwich tasted delicious.

Daryl left again, and Paul ate in depressed silence.

"You should be warm enough with these," Daryl said when he reappeared, he placed a duvet and a thick blanket along with a pillow down on the couch, and sweatpants and a sweater in Paul's lap, "You can shower after you eat if you want," He said.

Paul watched as he sat himself down in the comfortable looking recliner chair and switched the TV on and began flicking through the channels.

"Thank you," Paul said, smiling warmly at the other man even though he couldn't see him.

 

* * *

 

"What are we watching?" Paul asked as he exited the bathroom and walked into the living room again, sitting himself down on the couch and getting comfortable under the covers.

"David Attenborough," Daryl said, not even looking at him, appearing to be too focused on the TV show than to pay proper attention to Paul.

"Ah," Paul said, and then caught sight of Daryl's pink sweatpants, "You know, I'm quite disappointed that I don't have matching pink sweats," He said, and that got Daryl's attention.

"I ordered them online, and they came in the wrong color, but they had a no return policy," He explained, glaring at Paul with a flush on his cheeks.

Paul laughed and held his hands up, "Not to worry, pink's great, I'm wearing pink boxers,"

Daryl glared at him a few moments later, and then rolled his eyes as he looked back at the TV, "Shut up and let me watch my show," He grumbled and folded his arms over his chest adorably.

Paul laughed but did as Daryl said and didn't speak another word, falling asleep within a few minutes.

 

* * *

 

Paul's thank you for letting him stay at his apartment had been an entire cake. It was chocolate and had several layers, and Paul knew that it tasted delicious.

When Paul got home the afternoon the day after he had given Daryl the cake, he managed to arrive at his apartment the same time Daryl was oiling the hinges on his front door.

"Hi," Paul greeted him as he walked over, coming to a stop a few meters behind him.

Daryl stood up and turned to face him, "Hey," He greeted him, smiling warmly and wiping his hands on a rag that he pulled from his back pocket.

"Did you like the cake?" Paul asked, rocking on his heels.

"It was fucking delicious," Daryl replied enthusiastically, and Paul laughed, "I ain't finished it all, so I'll give the container back to you later unless you need it now?"

"I'm glad you liked it," Paul said with a grin, "And nah, it's okay, I've got a couple of others,"

Daryl nodded, "Okay, thanks for it by the way,"

Paul shook his head, "Oh, no worries. I like to bake, and I need to thank you somehow," He said and folded his arms over his leather-jacket covered chest, "Do you any special requests for the next time I inevitably need to thank you for something?" He asked playfully, grinning at his neighbor.

Daryl was quiet for a few moments, but then cleared his throat and looked Paul right in the eye, "Take me out on a date to dinner," He said, swallowing thickly as his cheeks flushed deeply, "Balance out all the sweetness, ya know?"

Paul was in shock for a few seconds, his brows high on his face, but then he grinned wide, and his own cheeks flushed, "I'd love to," He replied, and grinned at the relief that spread over Daryl's face.

Daryl nodded and smiled shyly as he fiddled with his fingers, "Well, come get me when you need something then," He said.

Paul nodded, "Will do," He replied and winked at the other man before he made his way to his own apartment.

 

* * *

 

An hour later, it was six o'clock, and Paul had showered, put his best jeans on, a black t-shirt and his leather jacket. He had even tied his long hair into a half-up-half-down style.

He grabbed his wallet, keys, and phone before he walked out of his apartment, and across the hall to Daryl's.

He knocked on the door and took a deep breath as he waited. Within a few moments, the door opened, and a sweet looking Daryl was shyly smiling at him. He had also changed into nicer clothes, blue jeans and a black button up along with clean boots. They both knew what was happening after their conversation earlier.

"I'm starving," Paul said, unable to stop the grin and blush that spread over his cheeks, "But I need company,"

Daryl smiled, and stepped out of the apartment and closed the door, "Well, let's go get some food then, huh?" He said.

Paul nodded, and took the man's hand in his own and gave it a firm squeeze, "Let's," He replied.

Paul's company was even better than his burger that night.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are loved! Xx


End file.
